Lega Nord

The Lega Nord is a populist and xenophobic political party in Italy, founded on 4 December 1989 as an electoral alliance. The party supported the transformation of Italy into a federal state, fiscal federalism, and greater autonomy for northern regions, and the party opposed Italian membership in the European Union, opposed immigration, and supported populist platforms. The party once advocated separatism for "Padania", but it later pushed for autonomy for the northern regions instead of independence. The party was one of many parties to take advantage of the wave of right-wing sentiment during the early 21st century, and it became a big party.